Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

Escape: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Rupert Holmes

  • C major
  • 4/4
  • 70 BPM
  • 1979
  • Easy
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Left hand Pop heartbeatThe right hand sings the tuneChords from the chord symbols in the score

The accompaniment with every note named, bar by bar: the bar sheet shows each note as a bar on the staff with its letter inside, so you can accompany Escape without reading music. The left hand plays pop heartbeat (root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3)), and the right hand sings the tune.

The catchy part of Escape in letter notes

The real notes from a score, both hands, bar by bar. R is the right hand, L the left; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
F → Fmaj7 → G7
RF4+A4+C5 F4+A4+C5+E5 F4+G4+B4+D5 F4+A4+C5 C5 D5 C5 F4+A4+E5 D5 C5
LF2 A2 G2 F2 G2
Bar 2
Cmaj7 → Dm7
RE4+G4+C5 B4+C5+E5+G5 A4+C5+D5+F5 G4+B4+C5+E5 C5 E5 G4+Bb4+E5 D5 C5
LC2 E2 D2 C2 E2
Bar 3
F → Fmaj7 → G7
RF4+A4+C5 F4+A4+C5+E5 F4+G4+B4+D5 F4+A4+C5 D5 C5 F4+A4+E5 D5 C5
LF2 A2 G2 F2 G2
Bar 4
Cmaj7 → Dm7
RE4+G4+C5 B4+C5+E5+G5 A4+C5+D5+F5 G4+B4+C5+E5 G5 G5 Bb4+E5+G5 G5 A5
LC2 E2 D2 C2 E2

Escape accompaniment in letter notes

The F – Fmaj7 – G7 – Cmaj7 – Dm7 – F – Fmaj7 – G7 – Cmaj7 – Dm7 loop with pop heartbeat in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
F → Fmaj7 → G7
RF4+A4+C5 F4+A4+C5 G4+B4+D5
LF2 G2 G2
Bar 2
Cmaj7 → Dm7
RC4+E4+G4 D4+F4+A4
LC3 D2 D2
Bar 3
F → Fmaj7 → G7
RF4+A4+C5 F4+A4+C5 G4+B4+D5
LF2 G2 G2
Bar 4
Cmaj7 → Dm7
RC4+E4+G4 D4+F4+A4 E4 F4 G4 A4 B4 C5 D5 E5
LC3 D2 D2
Bar 5
F → Fmaj7 → G7
RF4+A4+C5 F4+A4+C5 G4+B4+D5
LF2 G2 G2
Bar 6
Cmaj7 → Dm7
RC4+E4+G4 D4+F4+A4
LC3 D2 D2
Bar 7
F → Fmaj7 → G7
RF4+A4+C5 F4+A4+C5 G4+B4+D5
LF2 G2 G2
Bar 8
Cmaj7 → Dm7
RC4+E4+G4 D4+F4+A4
LC3 D2 D2

How to read the bar sheet

The player above shows the treble staff (right hand) over the bass staff (left hand). Every note is a bar as long as it sounds, at its place on the staff, with its name inside, and the music scrolls past a line that marks now. The chord names run along the top.

Start with the left hand alone at a slow speed, then the right, then both. When the letters feel easy, try the sheet music.

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Questions about Escape

What are the letter notes for the Escape piano accompaniment?

Bar by bar, both hands: the bar sheet on this page names every note of the accompaniment (C4 is middle C) and plays along. The loop is F – Fmaj7 – G7 – Cmaj7 – Dm7 – F – Fmaj7 – G7 – Cmaj7 – Dm7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Escape?

The loop is F – Fmaj7 – G7 – Cmaj7 – Dm7 – F – Fmaj7 – G7 – Cmaj7 – Dm7 (IV – IVmaj7 – V7 – Imaj7 – ii7 – IV – IVmaj7 – V7 – Imaj7 – ii7) in C major, and the song ends on C – Dm – C.

What key is Escape in?

C major, at about 70 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Escape?

Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Escape easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 10 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Escape?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.